The DuSable Museum of African American History

The DuSable Museum of African American History, is the oldest independent institution of its kind in the country dedicated to the collection, preservation, interpretation and dissemination of the history and culture of Americans of African descent. Through exhibitions, archives and programs, DuSable Museum emphasizes the experiences of Africans in America and throughout the Diaspora and their contributions to American and world history and culture.

The museum’s permanent collection includes artifacts, books, slave documents, civil rights memorabilia, paintings, drawings and sculpture by such artists as Charles White, Archibald Motley, Henry Ossawa Tanner and Elizabeth Catlett among others; photograph collections; wood and ivory carvings, bronze castings, statues and masks from Africa; and archives of original documents, manuscripts, rare books, films, recordings and bibliographic files.

Dusable Annual Arts and Crafts Festival

On August 6, 1974, the DuSable Museum held its first Art Festival just one year after the museum moved to its present location in Washington Park. Exactly eight artists participated that year! Key amongst them were Margaret Burroughs and Sophie Wessell, who came up with the idea to organize this event which now each year hosts nearly 200 artists and crafts people. Burroughs’ and Wessell’s plan was to return the outdoor art fair back to its original format, i.e., an exhibition made up of artists who come together to display their work on an equal basis devoid of jurors and critics. An additional factor, however, was their inclusion of aspiring young artists from Chicago public and parochial schools.

In 1984, the DuSable Museum’s curator, the late, Ramon Price, devised a fresh new format for the art festival by instituting the Purchase Award Program whereby works judged outstanding are purchased for the museum by a panel of judges. Since then, the museum has acquired over ninety works of art for what is known as the DuSable Museum’s Loan Collection of Contemporary African-American Art. The works in this special collection are available for loan to qualifying institutions. Over the years the entire collection has been exhibited at Wisconsin University in Milwaukee, Eastern Illinois University, and at Columbia College in Chicago.

Today, the festival is known as the DuSable Museum’s Arts and Crafts Festival and is in its twenty-ninth year. Staged always on the second weekend in July, the Festival is a showcase for local artists, a juried exhibition of fine art and unique and crafted work which features artists working in traditional, ethnic and experimental fine arts and crafts that relate to African-American themes, identity, history and culture, and underscores our mission of preserving the history and culture of the African-American experience.

Visitor Information

The DuSable Museum of African American History
740 East 56th Place
(57th Street and South Cottage Grove Avenue)
Chicago, Illinois 60637
(773) 947-0600

www.dusablemuseum.org

Hours:
Monday through Saturday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sundays 12:00 Noon - 5:00 PM

General Admission:
Adults $3.00
Students and Seniors $2.00
Children ages 6 to 13 $1.00, Children under 6, are FREE
Sundays are FREE to all

DuSable asks your help in maintaining our facility. Please note that the following are not permitted while visiting our galleries:

Animals
Back Packs or oversized bags
Food or Beverages
Lasers
Picture Taking
Running or unruly behavior
Smoking
Umbrellas
Video Cameras

The Administration and Staff thank you for your cooperation while visiting the DuSable Museum of African American History.